Tale 2: Shady Merchant Father (Tired Blupi)
Tale 2: Shady Merchant Father is a tale from the Miitopia Tales DLC. It's first accessible after recovering the Neksdor Town's lost faces in the main story. This tale takes place prior to the Genie being sealed. Synopsis One night at Neksdor Town, the Shady Merchant Father tells his daughter a story about his recent adventures. The scene then switches to show a flashback of said past events. Back then, he was simply known as the Merchant Father. One day when his wife came for a visit, his daughter wanted to visit various places with her. As he was too busy with his struggling business, his wife had no choice but to go without him, though he himself didn't mind. As time went on, however, he barely got any customers, making him frustrated. Suddenly, a Thief showed up after watching over him from behind one of the buildings. The Merchant Father somehow didn't mind the Thief visiting. He was too desperate. Instead of attempting to steal his goods directly from him, the Thief told him about a place that is rumored to house a very dangerous monster that protects a good amount of treasure. Blinded by the rumored treasure, the Merchant Father immediately asked about that place without hesitation. The Thief was surprised for a moment, but then told him that they could escort him through an ominous forest located between Neksdor and Realm of the Fey called Darkness Forest. After agreeing to go, the two ran off, abandoning the Merchant Father's shop. After reaching the deepest part of the forest, the two began to anticipate the rumored monster. As it made more ominous sounds, the Thief began to shake in fear before crying and running off, leaving the Merchant Father alone. He was visibily panicking, but he was still curious about the monster. It kept threatening him to get out, but he still stayed in place, even though he was scared. It then gave up and tried to confront him, revealing its identity as the Genie. The Merchant Father was surprised at this, as he already knew about the stories about the Genie but never thought that he's a real deal. In pure desperation, he immediately begged for help, surprising the Genie back. The Genie then shoved him away, telling him that he doesn't grant any wishes. The Merchant Father knew this, but he told the Genie that he really needs the Genie's powers just so he could escape his struggling job. The Genie thought for a moment as he grew annoyed at the Merchant Father's whining and crying. The Genie then came up with an idea, but he told the Merchant Father to come back the next day. The next day, the Merchant Father visited the Genie's hideout once again, ready for the plan. As the first task, the Genie told him about an explorer's personal treasure kept somewhere deep in the Hidden Cave. Their objective is to steal it. Agreeing with the plan, the Genie then warped both the Merchant Father and himself to the inside of Hidden Cave. After managing to obtain the treasure, a Neksdor Jewel, without anyone noticing (the place was completely empty, but locked with multiple seals that were easily broken by the Genie), the two called the attempt a success. The Genie, however, kept the jewel to himself, telling the Merchant Father that he still has more work to do before he can enjoy the riches for himself. He was saddened by it, at first, but he was still determined to continue working with the Genie. A montage is then shown, showing the two's shady attempts in obtaining riches ranging from scamming to outright robbing various people. The news about the two's notoriety had spread far at that point, even notifying the Great Sage, who had just arrived at Neksdor that time. The Great Sage, upon hearing that, began to gather some information and then came up with a plan. One day, the Merchant Father was excited for another shady task. The Genie was surprised that the Merchant Father was still persistent even though the former was simply using the latter for his own advantage, so he decided to up the challenge and told him about a faraway place where a supposedly unlucky explorer's treasure stash is kept. Hearing the words "treasure stash", the Merchant Father became ecstatic and couldn't wait any longer. So, the Genie warped both of them out of the hideout once again. However, the Great Sage had overheard their conversation. After struggling through many monsters just to get to the treasure stash, the Genie, who was in front of him, was suddenly stopped by someone calling him. The Merchant Father wondered what's going on, until two more calls for the Genie were heard, resulting in him suddenly being sucked into what appears to be a magic lamp. It's revealed that the Great Sage had managed to catch up to them despite the duo's seemingly massive advantage over the former. The Great Sage then slowly approached the panicking Merchant Father, asking him why he decided to work for the mischievous Genie. When he looked back at them, he was speechless, thinking about fleeing from the sage. He suddenly noticed that the Neksdor Jewel was the only thing left after the Genie got sealed. He rushedly picked it up and, without saying a word, tried to run off, only for the Great Sage to stop him. The Merchant Father ended up grumpily confessing about his whole problem. Instead of outright scolding or threatening him, the Great Sage told him that they will give their advice after teleporting back to Neksdor Town using their magic. After returning to Neksdor Town, the irritated townspeople were delighted to see the Great Sage bringing back the criminal. Before they could do anything to the Merchant Father, the Great Sage stopped them and advised them to not attack him. The Great Sage then advised the Merchant Father that all work takes effort no matter how struggling or easy it is. They believed that he still has a chance. The Great Sage then left to recover the treasure from the Genie's hideout. Unfortunately, it didn't end with a happy note. Due to his notoriety, he was unable to sell anything no matter how much effort he put into it. He also became highly cautious, as when his wife and daughter returned to Neksdor Town, he decided to meet up with them at the town border to avoid risking his wife from knowing about his reputation. After his wife went off to return to her own job at a faraway town, his daughter began wondering what happened. The Merchant Father was not ready to tell her that moment. This ends the bedtime story, with the Shady Merchant Father saying that since his grand failure, he chose to keep his shady practices despite the Great Sage's assurance because no one trusts him and his shop anymore and that's how he taught his daughter to scam people for a living. His daughter ends up falling asleep. Characters Party |-|Merchant Father= "A Neksdor resident with a struggling business. Cannot say 'no' to free money." The main character of this tale, thus the Mii that can be controlled by the player. He starts off at level 17, and, unlike the Besmirched Noble's Son in his own tale, has his own equipment set. However, he cannot learn any new skills aside from the five starting ones. His weapon of choice is the Dagger, similar to the Thief job. His clothing is called the Merchant Clothes. In this tale, his personality is set as Stubborn, giving him access to Patience, Again, and Bluff quirks. As part of the tale's mechanics, this can't be changed. The Merchant Father's default attack hits all enemies, but the strength progressively weakens as it goes down the line. He can grow relationship levels with the Genie once the latter joins him for adventures. Stats Skills |-|Thief= "A very sneaky, yet strange fellow. Likes to spread rumors." A new character for this tale, whose look is decided by the player. They're always seen wearing the Stone Gear and wielding a Fish. This character is a temporary companion for the Merchant Father during the first visit to Darkness Forest. They're based on the already-existing Thief job. As they're a guest party member, they can't form any relationships, will always act last in battles, and can't have their stats boosted. Clearing the final stage in Darkness Forest for the first time will cause them to flee in fear, and they're never seen again in the rest of the tale except during the brief montage where the Genie and the Merchant Father are seen terrorizing the people of Neksdor Town later on. When it comes to skills, this Thief is only capable of using Whirlwind Blades. Most of the time, their AI prefers to use regular attacks. |-|Genie of the Lamp= "A very mischievous being. His dark hideout is his favorite place." The very same Genie as the one encountered in the main story. He joins the Merchant Father starting from their first adventure together in Hidden Cave. The Genie starts at a relatively high level (LV. 28), with early post-game stats. He doesn't have any clothing equipment, but he can equip himself with Scimitars. His personality is set as Cool. Once he's in the party, he can raise relationship levels with the Merchant Father, allowing both characters to utilize assists. The Genie's default attack is single-target only. Stats Skills Other characters Neksdor Town *'Merchant Mother' - "Merchant Father's lovely wife. Works at a faraway town." *'Dancing Guide' - "She loves to sing and dance, but not when crowds are watching." *'Rambling Old Man' - "Secretly wants to take up dancing. It's never too late to start!" *'Merchant Daughter' - "The Merchant Family's only child. Does not know the right and wrong." *'Prickly Husband' - "Fed up with listening to his wife prattling on. Needs a vacation." *'Prickly Wife' - "Sick of her husband never taking anything seriously." *'Desert Celebrity' - "A wealthy celebrity who just can't seem to stop getting richer." Other *'Great Sage' - "A wise and powerful mage who roams the world helping others." Locations Locations accessible by the player in this tale. This does not list locations that only appear during cutscenes. *Neksdor **Neksdor Town **Darkness Forest *Unknown region **Hidden Cave **Treasure Rockground Trivia *The Worried Explorer doesn't appear in Neksdor Town in this tale. *The Merchant Family and the Genie have completely different Mii Cast descriptions in order to match their roles in the past. *The rocks blocking the path in Wetland Way are absent in this tale. However, the tale doesn't explain any reason for why the rocks are suddenly there by the time the protagonist arrived at Neksdor for the first time, leaving it still a mystery. *This is the first tale where the player can access locations that are completely isolated from the rest of Miitopia. In this case, both Hidden Cave and Treasure Rockground cannot be exited out until the player clears their respective final stages. *This is the only tale where there are no "boss" monsters. While the final monster encounter looks like a boss battle, the bout simply involves six "regular" monsters. *Unlike in the main story, equipment and snacks cannot be bought in this tale as the characters are programmed to never request for any while they're staying at the inn. The only way to obtain them is by opening treasure chests or via events (snacks only) in stages. Category:Miitopia Tales (Tired Blupi)